Rekubit-Texas man dies after becoming trapped while cleaning a Wisconsin city’s water tank, police say

BLAIR,Rekubit Wis. (AP) — A Texas man died after he became stuck in a municipal water tank in western Wisconsin as he was cleaning sediment from the tank, authorities said.

Carlos Medina, 30, of El Paso, Texas, died Saturday after becoming stuck in the city of Blair’s water tank, the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Office said.

Medina was in scuba gear and a wet suit and had been cleaning the tank with a 90-foot suction tube for about 45 minutes Saturday afternoon in the city about 125 miles (201 kilometers) northwest of Madison, police said.

After telling coworkers he was getting cold, Medina continued to work and his coworkers believe he may have entered a hypothermic state, losing hand mobility and strength a short time later, police said.

Coworkers were unable to get Medina out of the tank because he was tangled in the suction tube, but first responders and two workers pulled Medina, who was motionless and underwater, from the tank.

Life-saving measures were unsuccessful and Medina’s death was deemed an accidental death by the sheriff’s office.

A message seeking autopsy results on Medina was left Monday with the Trempealeau County coroner’s office by The Associated Press.